Disclaimer - I don't own Naruto. The series is the respective property of Masashi Kishimoto.

••XxX••.

"You don't have any parents, Naruto".

Dazzling sapphire orbs broke out from the curtains of darkness and gazed at the patched up wood above. "Why?" A single word escaped his smallmouth. A remark daring to question God itself but, as usual, was met with a suffocating silence.

Transparent liquid started accumulating on the dry surface of his orbs, turning them into an endless ocean of sorrow and pain. "Why I'm the only one without any parents?" Like a sly snake, his question concealed his spirit and wrapped it up with the poison of helplessness. "Everyone has one. Even the bad ones have them too" His mouth formed a downward curvature at the end of his statement as his arguments made him realize how unfair and foolish the one above is.

Bringing his hands above his face, he wiped away the fresh tears with the frame of his T-shirt. "I also want someone who will eat with me, sleep with me, play with me and most important of all, will care for me" he wailed at the nothing in particular as his body stayed stationary on the bed. "Don't I also have a right to be happy like others?" his mouth quivered again but he composed himself rather quickly. "No!!!" he screamed at himself for his boneheadedness. "I promised the old man" he reminisced the small discussion he had with one of his favourite people. "I won't cry. Hokages don't cry!!" he asserted with an emotionless face. "I will make these people acknowledge me. Then I will have many friends to play with" he bobbed his head to imply that he was fully confident about his ambition.

After spending a few more minutes on the comforting mattress of the bed, Naruto finally stood up from the sheet and gazed outside the window. "Umm," he trailed off when his eyes regarded the village for a while. As usual, the streets were full of people and everyone was looking joyous and energetic. "I hate these people" he commented on the delightful sight in front of him. "These people don't deserve a Hokage like me" he finally looked away from the scenery and directed his eyes to the gloom of his half fitful room. "But I need acknowledgement. I need someone to notice that I exist".

For some reason, people of this village completely ignores his existence. They behave like he doesn't exist at all. They don't talk to him, they don't look at him. "They behave like I'm nothing," his own harsh but honest statements made his mood even worse. 'Why do they do this?' his mind asked him a question for which he still had no answer. He destroyed his own childhood because of this particular question. Everything he did and thought was to gain some information so that he can know the answer to this cursed question. After uncountable tries and failures, he finally decided to halt his exploration, until he met his favourite old man. A man who gave him hope and care when he needed them the most. He was the one who told him not to lose hope.

His words became his strength but, after a while, just like his age, his words became old and shallow. "Old man lied to me," he told himself in a grim tone. "He said when I will grow up, I will find a person who will love me but, I'm still alone" his voice broke down a bit at the end of his statement. "He said I will finally get to know what love is" the tone of his voice rose modestly. "LIAR" the dam inside his heart finally broke and tears overflowed his small eyes. "No one loves me..." animosity of the bitter truth bedevilled his mind and soul. "Heck, I don't even know what love is?" his lips quivered as the hollow feeling of loneliness clenched his heart again.

For the upcoming few moments, he remained silent. He knew making a fuss about it won't solve his problem. He needed some answers. "I need to know what a family and love are," he told himself. If he wanted to be loved then he had to know how to show love to others too. "There is only one person who can tell me what love is" his mind flashed an image of an old and wrinkled face. A face he was accustomed to very well.

"Old Man Hokage".

Hiruzen Sarutobi, commonly known as the Hokage of Konoha was a man full of failures and regrets. His life was like an awful tale inscribed by a pen of guilt which contained disappointment as its ink. Time to time, life gave him countless chances to redo all of his mistakes but, he like a failure he was, ended up with more blunders. Blunders which kept him awake at nights and almost dead on the inside in mornings. From his despicable student to his beloved successor, he lost all of them on the journey of his failures.

"I'm the biggest failure of this village" few but peculiar words left the mouth of the old Hokage. His depleted eyes which were now habituated to the consequences of his failures, dwindled as they observed yet another breakdown of his little child, Naruto. The tears of the boy were like sharp-edged swords which were slashing his heart mercilessly as they strode down the wet cheeks of the poor boy. "He shouldn't be crying like this," he tried to argue with the shining crystal in hope that someone will finally heed his pleas but, the silent and incidental response of the inanimate object tore his heart into pieces. It was the same response which every heinous dweller of this village manipulates to stay away from Naruto and surprisingly, it works every time.

The response is simple. "Silence..." A tool that so effective that even he, the leader of this dismal village can't do anything against it. "Sometimes silence can speak way more than our meaningless words" Slim and wrinkled hand sloped over to the corner of his desk and yanked out a decent amount of pages from the ever-growing mountain of papers. "I hope someday he will find someone whom he can believe. Someone whom he can love" Hiruzen grumbled as his eyes regarded the document in front of him.

"Stop there you pest!!! You can't disturb Hokage-sama like that!!".

A smile crossed the features of his old face when his ears recognized the sweet and familiar voice of his favourite child. "Old Man!!" his smile stretched out more when the said boy entered the room with his famous thousands watt smile on his face.

"Naruto" Hiruzen couldn't help but reciprocate the smile of the boy. It's still surprising to him that a gesture as small as this can completely turn over the tone of his day.

The child wasted no time and instantly placed himself on the famous desk of Hokage. After adjusting to the surface, he peeked at the old man and sent him a vicious pout. "You lied to me old man" he whined in his usual childish tone, but Hiruzen instantly noted the sliver of hurt beneath his words.

"Lied about what, Naruto?" He asked immediately.

"I still haven't found anyone who loves me, you know" and just like that, Hiruzen's heart broke down into pieces again. His smile diluted to a minimal curvature of his lips and the corner of his eyes swelled up with a translucent liquid. The words he just heard from the boy were enough to make him acknowledge his failures again.

His biggest failure was standing right in front of him. "Naruto..." He began but couldn't go on with his trail of lies. His mind was telling him to silence the boy with another lie while his heart wished to say sorry to the child for everything wrong he had done to him. The child has already suffered a lot because of him and his friends. "I wasn't lying," But at the last he, like a good Hokage he was, Hiruzen chose to carry on with his shallow lies "Someday you will find someone, I promise" he reassured the boy and ruffled his hair lightly.

"Really?! You promise!" Hiruzen's heart ached when he saw the smile of the boy. Naruto was looking soo enthusiastic and hopeful right now. "But how will I find that person, old man?" his question fetched out Hiruzen from his thoughts.

"Huh?".

Naruto slumped in disappointment. Who made this old hag Hokage? "I mean, How can I tell if someone loves me or not? I don't know what love is and how people give it to each other" he elaborated his despair.

"Ohh" Hiruzen grumbled as his mind filtered the words of the boy. While his words were told in an innocent manner but for him, they were enough to shut him up for a while. "Finding that person won't be hard for you, Naruto" he paused to check the reaction of the boy and was pleased to see a smile on his small face. "That person will never run away from you, Naruto and will always be happy to talk with you" his voice cracked up when Naruto's smile got even bigger. At that moment he couldn't help but curse his own village for what they have done to the boy.

"Do you mean that person will stay to talk with me and won't run away?".

"Yes".

The blonde child jolted up from the table in surprise. He finally knew what love was. Now he could make friends too and play endlessly with them. "If I ever find that person then I promise you old man, I will never leave him alone" he shouted at the stunned Hokage. "It's a promise of a lifetime" and that promise sealed the fate of the boy.

Hiruzen smiled at the dedication of the boy. "You are just like him, Naruto" he mumbled.

"Like who?"

"Hashirama Senju".

"Who's this guy, old man?"

"Hahaha, You don't know him?" at the confirming nod of the boy's head, his laughter intensified. "He was the first Hokage of this village, Naruto," he answered.

Naruto fell off the table. "W-What? You mean he was that guy who only used to use wood jutsus" he asked and slumped on the ground when old man confirmed his doubts. "I'm an idiot for sure" he muttered to himself but unfortunately his old man heard him.

"Yes, you are Naruto".

"Oiii, I just forgot his name, you know".

The Hokage sighed at the antics of the boy. He for sure is her child. "I'm not calling you an idiot for not knowing his name, Naruto" he explained.

"Then?".

"I'm calling you an idiot because you said that Hashirama used to use Mokuton only" he clarified to the confused boy. "Hashirama never relied on a single ability, Naruto. He was also an outstanding medic" his words sparked curiosity inside the boy.

"Really? That's so cool!!" Naruto was in awe. Till now he used to think that Yondaime was the only powerful Hokage this village has ever produced but now hearing the feats of this Hashirama guy made him enthusiastic about the history of this village.

"He used to say that one should never rely on a single skill, Naruto. Everyone should master at least two or more abilities".

Now that made Naruto more curious. "Two or more abilities, huh?" he said to himself before looking at the old man again. "How many do you know?" he couldn't help but ask. He wanted to know whether the old man was eligible to be the Hokage or not.

Hiruzen smirked. He absolutely loved this unabashed nature of the boy. No one in this village has guts to even ask him about his prowess but here he was, this small boy who was challenging his credibility. "Five" he answered as he puffed out his chest in pride.

"Ok".

"Huh?" An embarrassed Hiruzen whispered. Were his feats not enough to surprise the boy? "You aren't surprised, Naruto?" he asked and slumped when the said boy just yawned in response. "I wasted my whole life mastering all of them, Naruto. At least give me some worthy reaction" he begged but the boy remained idle.

"I will learn six or even more" Naruto blurted out of nowhere.

Hiruzen's eyes bugged out of his sockets. "W-what? That's impossible!!" he shouted at the boy.

Naruto beamed at the stunned Hokage. "Nothing is impossible for me. I promise you, old man, I will master every Jutsu and, will make you proud" he held out his hand to the Hokage in order to seal his

Hiruzen gulped. He had heard those same words before and it didn't end up nice. "You don't have-" he was cut off by a sharp look from the boy.

"That's the least I can do for you, old man" Naruto looked away from the man and stared at the view outside of the window. "You are the only one I have, old man. I don't have any parents whom I can make proud. You are my family, my only friend, my teacher and my everything" As soon he finished his broken words, he tried to escape the Hokage office but a hand halted his stride.

"I'm already proud of you, Naruto" Hiruzen tapped the head of the boy lightly as his eyes began to drown in the sadness. "You are one of the bravest people I have ever seen" he finished off his words with a tight hug.

For a good moment, two of them just enjoyed the affection of each other. Naruto who was shaking inside the confinement of Hiruzen's arms let out a small giggle. "You know, we are looking idiots right now. Especially you, old man" Bringing his hand up, he gently wiped away his and his old man's tears from their face. "You are Hokage for God's sake. Crying doesn't suit your crumpled and old face" he added when his eyes met the eyes of the Hokage.

Hiruzen smiled at the boy. Even in this embarrassing moment, he came up with something stupid to make him smile. "There is nothing wrong in this, Naruto" he fake argued with the boy.

Naruto regarded him for a moment before shrugging off his shoulders. "Whatever old man" he shook his head in shame to tease the leader in front. "Anyway, I'm going to the Hokage monument now. Yondaime is waiting for my cool stories" he exclaimed as he stood up from the table and hopped on the floor. With the last turn of his head, he glanced at the Hokage and waved him goodbye.

Hiruzen immediately responded with a goodbye of his own.

"Bye Naruto...".

"What the hell?!!" Our favourite blonde yelled at the Gods above as he tried to keep himself safe from the wrath of Nature. "You could have at least postponed this shower till the evening, you know" he deflated when a tiny drop of liquid made contact with the tip of his nose. "Eww... Gross water. Stay away from me" his nose crinkled when all of a sudden another tiny drop of water spattered on his skin. "At least stop for while so that I can talk with my favorite Hokage" he wailed in hope that the Gods above will listen to him but the abrupt increase of the downpour hushed him down.

On queue, a loud thunder roared throughout the sky and illumined the gloomy soundings of the forest. "Wahhhh" Naruto yelped in surprise and yanked away from the security of the big tree. "Very Good. You are absolutely awesome, Naruto" he praised himself for his brilliance. Now, not only he was humiliated by this rain but was also doused in this damn liquid of this downpour. "I don't have to worry about getting wet now," he thought to himself. "I can visit the Yondaime now" he chirped as his legs began to walk in the direction of his destination.

After a few mildly irritating minutes, Naruto finally arrived at his destination. "Ahhh" a sigh of relief escaped his lips as he delighted in the peace and solace that the place gave him. The beautiful scenery of the village, accompanied by the mixture of mesmerizing flora and fauna was actually a sight to behold. He can never get bored of this place. "It's like my second home" he hummed as he dangled his small legs on edge of the cliff that possessed the face of his favourite Hokage on it.

"The village looking very beautiful today for some reason. Maybe it's because of this stupid rain" No matter how much Naruto hates rainfall but, he could not deny the fact that the mist hovering over mountains, the sound of water pelting on the bare stones and the smell of soil were making a huge difference in the scenery. "Rain can be beautiful and annoying at the same time" he whispered as his eyes followed the trail of a droplet of water until its fortunate reunion with its family. "That's unfair!! Even that drop gets to meet with its family again" his shrill voice inundated the whole area. "Stupid wate-" his words died in his mouth when his eyes accidentally took notice of a silhouette sitting on the other edge of the mountain.

"Huh?" confusion overran the empty chambers of his mind. "Hello!!!" without wasting a second he decided to confront the stranger.

"..." his face visibly deflated when the stranger plainly ignored his shouts and keep on doing whatever he or she was doing before. "HEllo" believing that the person must haven't heard him before because of the rain, he decided to repeat his previous action.

"...". An awkward silence was all he got in response.

'He for sure is a boy who is trying to annoy me' Naruto twitched ever so slightly. Ok, now that guy was getting under his skin. "HELLO BASTARD!" his words wavered in the atmosphere for a good couple of seconds before the cursed awkward silence returned in its full glory. "Answer me!" his twitching intensified.

'Fine... Now I will teach him how to annoy someone' Naruto thought to himself as he stood up from his position and began walking to the bastard who was still sitting quietly as if nothing has happened. "Listen" as he got close to the stranger, he closed his eyes in annoyance. "If you are here to annoy me then I have got bad news for you" he grinned at the stranger. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. You can't do shit to me, bastard" he finished his statement with a smug smile which looked quite decent on his 8-year-old face.

"...".

Naruto winced at the silence that followed his commotion. Someone, please tell this person to speak something. "Speak-" he didn't know whether to smile or scowl when the person in front abruptly interrupted him.

"I don't want to talk to you" words as soft as cotton warmed the ears of Naruto.

"Haahhh!!" Naruto jolted away from the person in surprise. His eyes shot open and gaped at the girl in front of him. 'Oh God no!! I messed up. I disrespected a girl. The old man will be angry' were some of his noteworthy thoughts which were presently cramming his mind with guilt and fear. "I'm sorry!!" not wasting a second, he quickly kneeled in front of the girl, a gesture which even took the girl by surprise. "I thought you were a boy from the village who was trying to annoy me" he elucidated his justification for his action. "I will take my leave now" with that said he stoop up from the ground and gently wiped his shorts with the hem of his t-shirt. "Sorry for troubling you. Please don't tell about this to your parents. I'm already very infamous in this village" he grumbled as he turned around to take his leave.

"I don't have any parents".

'Amazing... My luck is amazing' Naruto was dying on the inside now. "U-Uh. I'm sorry-" he was cut off when the girl abruptly stood up and raised her hand to point out to the village.

"They killed them".

Naruto froze. His mind went numb as soon as he heard the words of the girl. For a second he thought the girl was joking but the unwavering look of sadness and hate on her face cemented her words and compelled him to believe her. "Why they killed your parents?" his mouth ran on its own and before he could do anything, he was silenced by a sunken look from the girl.

"I don't know" with a voice as cold as ice, the girl responded to Naruto's query.

Naruto stepped back a little bit. Something inside of him was telling him to stay away from the girl. Her aura was depressing. It was completely opposite to his. "I-I think I should leave now" he suggested and was almost successful in his action but a hand snaked around his wrist and halted his stride.

"Why are you leaving? Don't you wanna talk to an Uchiha?" the girl tilted her head in subtle confusion. This boy was different from others and she appreciated it.

"Uchiha? What is it?" Naruto couldn't help but ask the girl.

"You don't know about Uchiha?" the girl responded to his question by another question.

"No".

"What's your name again?" the girl whispered as she turned around on her heels.

Naruto deflated in disappointment but, nevertheless answered her question. "Naruto Uzumaki" he murmured and froze when he saw a tinge of red hue blazing inside her eyes.

"I will remember it" she spoke as she began to walk down the mountain.

Naruto stared at her retreating form for while when suddenly realisation struck her like a hard rock. She didn't ignore him, she didn't run away from him and she didn't talk to him in a mean way. If what old man told him was true then that means!! Oh no!! He has to stop her. "Hello!!" he called out but the girl didn't stop.

"HELLO" he yelled out louder but the result was the same.

"What's your name?!!" he asked the retreating girl but she yet again ignored his words and kept on walking.

"Oiiiiiiiiii!!!" Using all of his energy, he yelled out for the last time. A smile smudged his features when the girl quit her tread in distance and glanced over her shoulders.

"What do you want?!" her words were barely audible but Naruto still understood everything.

"Your name".

"Why?"

"Because I love you!!"

A.N- Random idea. Don't know what to do with it now.